How could the apostles live with Jesus, eat with Him, work with Him, and yet fail to get who He really was? And this happened so often, like in John 14:7 after Jesus said, “If you had known Me you would also have known My Father. From now on you know Him and have seen Him,” and Philip answers “Lord, show us the Father. That is all we ask, then we shall be satisfied” (John14:8 Amplified).

You can well imagine what went through Jesus’ mind, but He was kind, and though I’m sure He must have been frustrated, He didn’t call Philip “dull-witted” or “faithless” or “beyond hope.” Rather He said, “Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father?”

Perhaps Philip’s statement wouldn’t seem so foolish if Jesus hadn’t already told His disciples in John 10:30, “I and the Father are One.” And again in John 10:38 He said, “the Father is in Me and I am in the Father (One with Him).” You’d think when someone claimed something this radical the person hearing it would remember those words. But it seems that not one of Jesus’ disciples did.

And so it is with us. There are countless claims about God in the Bible, radical claims about Who His is; what He did for us and why; how He’ll never leaves us or forsake us; how He is our healer and provider; how the battles in our lives are His to fight; how He has a plan and purpose for our lives; how we are fearful and wonderfully made; how we are more precious to Him than we can imagine; how we are more than conquerors; and so forth, and STILL we forget. So often when things go wrong, we fail to remember who Jesus is and how much He has invested in us, how much He loves us and wants the best for us. And we often forget all the wonderful things Jesus has already done for us in our lives. Like Philip, we are flesh and blood and often foolish. We are also prone to forgetfulness especially when we’re in a pickle. And at those times I think most of us say, “show us the Father; show us your hand in this, show us your love, because I can’t see You right now.”

And yes, I wonder if Jesus doesn’t say under His breath, “Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet?” because He so wants us to know Him, really know Him, and count on Him and trust Him and understand that He really does love us and He’s there for us, even when it’s not always in the way we want and even when we can’t detect Him at work.

But like He did for Philip He’ll answer us without ridicule or disgust because He knows our frame. So for those who are weary of well-doing, who are hurting, who are in despair, who feel overwhelmed, my prayer is “show us the Father.”

Until next time,

Sylvia

This is a repost but it still applies. Next week back to following Jesus' footsteps.

This week an unexpected trip to the dentist to re-glue a temporary cap made me feel a bit like a vintage car in need of some new parts. I suppose that’s common when growing older.  In restaurants, I’ve sat close to enough seniors to learn that much of their conversation is filled with ailments and meds.  Not a happy prospect, or is it?

Actually, I’m learning that getting older has many advantages.  The foolishness and impetuous nature of youth is long behind you. The disappointments of middle age where one comes to grips with the fact that he or she has NOT changed the world, is forgotten.  What’s left?  Contentment, and hopefully some wisdom:  the contentment to enjoy life for what it is, and the wisdom to separate the extraneous from the vital.

Everyone who comes to this place must decide for themselves what fits under their “vital” column.  For me, it’s God and family and friends.  So simple, isn’t it?  But then, when you strip everything away, life really is simple.

Here’s to getting older!

Until next week,

Sylvia

Trying to know God’s heart is like trying to plumb the depths of the universe. It can’t be done. But I think parents are in a unique position to glimpse at least part of it. Jesus, when praying what has become known as the Lord’s Prayer, begins with “Our Father, who art in Heaven” (Matthew 6:9), thus teaching us that God wishes to be known as a father, and we, as believers in Jesus, are His children (Romans 8:14-17).  But not just father. No. That barely scratches the surface. But He wants us to know Him as Jesus did, as “Abba”, as “Daddy”.

Oh, what a tender word “daddy” is! It tells us that our Father’s heart isn’t cold or distant.  It tell us that our Daddy is someone on whose lap we can crawl when we need hugs, or on whose shoulder we can lean or cry. As Daddy, God invests Himself in our lives.  He cares about every aspect of them.  No detail is too small to warrant His attention. He knows us better than we know ourselves.  His love is unconditional.  We don’t have to earn it. Oh, how often we are like babies, demanding and helpless; and like babies, not appreciative of the love and care our Daddy lavishes on us. But He loves us anyway, because He is love. And He loved us even before we first loved Him. And when we make mistakes, He doesn’t disown us or threaten to cut off our inheritance.

He’s a Daddy that weeps when we hurt, rejoices when we succeed. He sees us for what we can be, and not the mess we sometimes are. He’s there to encourage, guide, direct, and help. He wants and knows what’s best for us, even when we don’t, and patiently bears our scorn and anger and temper tantrums when He withholds something for our own good. He has set down rules for our benefit. And not wanting us to be spoiled, but rather to grow into that person He has created us to be, He must often correct and discipline. Yet at the same time, He is ever ready to lavish His undeserved love and blessings upon us. And His mercies are new every morning. We can never exhaust them. He’ll never throw in the towel or wash His hands of us, but He’ll stay the course; able and willing to use our mistakes to make something wonderful of us.

And even when we turn our back on Him; when we refuse to acknowledge that He is responsible for all the good in our lives or when we’ve gone off to live in the pig sty, our Daddy’s heart is ever with us, watching and yearning for us, the prodigal, to return to His outstretched waiting arms.  And like any good parent, He’s willing to lay down His life for us, and He actually did, over two thousand years ago on Calvary’s cross.

Yet all this is but a small glimpse of God’s heart. As much as I love my children, I know God loves them so much more, and that puts me in a place I can’t comprehend. But isn’t it marvelous that we don’t have to? All we need do is just allow Daddy to love us, and though we can never love Him as He truly deserves to be love, we can give Him our own puny, shriveled little heart in return.

Until next time,

Sylvia

Last week I accompanied my daughter and grandchildren to the pediatrician where the kids each got a shot.  My grandson was fine about it, but my granddaughter, who was fearful, cried.  When it was over she admitted she hadn’t felt a thing, and that it was all a big nothing, certainly not worth fretting about.

I think this speaks volumes to the human condition. We are afraid of so many things, most of which are like that shot, a big nothing. We indulge in “what if this” and “what if that” until we work ourselves into a lather.  But simply saying “there’s nothing to fear” didn’t cut it with my granddaughter, and it doesn’t cut it with us. So how do we stop worrying and being fearful? By replacing our fears with something or someone bigger. And that someone is God.

At least 365 times, in different wording, the Bible tells us not to fear. I think because God knows our weak frame, He gave us something for each day of the year. In its basic sense, fear is simply lack of faith, lack of trust in God, in Who He is and in what He says He can do. If we truly believed, our fears, for the most part, would vanish and be replaced by what the Bible calls the “peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

This world will give us many opportunities to fret and fear, but the more we get to know God, get to know Who He is, the closer and more intimate our relationship becomes, the less we will be plagued by these “big nothings” and even when something sizable comes along, we will be able to face it with peace and confidence in knowing that our God is more than up to the challenge, and He will see us through.

Until next week,

Sylvia